This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No 09/298,287, which was filed in the United States patent and Trademark Office on Apr. 23, 1999. The invention relates to a preseamed sheet flooring product and method of constructing a preseamed sheet flooring product. The invention has particular application in the formation of sheet flooring products for spanning floor widths which are greater than the width of typical commercially-manufactured sheet flooring products. Flooring products made in accordance with the disclosure of this application can be used to cover floors which heretofore have been covered with resilient flooring products which, because they are narrower than the floor to be covered, are seamed in situ by installation technicians as the floor is being installed. Use of the term xe2x80x9cpreseamedxe2x80x9d in this application therefore refers to flooring products which are constructed of flooring products which may themselves be end products when seamed together during installation, but which have been seamed together during the manufacturing process, and thereafter shipped for later installation.
The novel features of the invention include processing techniques which permit efficient joining of the sheet products. The appearance and wear characteristics of the seam according to the invention render the seam sufficiently visually indistinct so as to be invisible except under careful scrutiny, and with the same wear characteristics as the flooring material itself.
The invention includes use of a class of adhesives which allows sections of flooring materials to be joined to form one or more free-floating sealed joints prior to the installation of the finished product. The flooring materials can comprise combinations of a wear layer, foam interlayer or core, a glass reinforced layer, and a nonfoamed or reinforced backing or a felt.
Normally, when a resilient sheet floor is installed in a room wider that the resilient flooring itself, the installer must create a joined seam as the floor is installed. The width of resilient flooring is limited by the size of machinery available for the manufacturing process. Such seams in a flooring structure can be undesirable due to many problems associated with installation and performance of the floor seam. These problems may include poor seaming techniques utilized by installers. These can cause the seams to pull apart or separate from the subfloor, and act as a trap for soil, food and beverage spills and the like. Separated seams also present an unattractive appearance.
Current commercially available seaming materials used by flooring installers include solvent-type welding systems, molten polymers or two-part urethane coatings which are used to seal the seam of the floor after it has been completely installed. Such seams are not sufficiently strong to withstand handling inherent in the manufacture, shipping and installation of the flooring product. In many instances the adhesives are not sufficiently strong to effectively bond all layers of a flooring structure.
For example, commercially available homogeneous sheet flooring materials are often seamed after installation by routing a groove along the seam line. A homogenous adhesive material similar in composition to the composition of the sheet flooring is heated in a tool and is then directed into the routed seam. This homogenous adhesive material is allowed to cool. The excess adhesive is then scived off in order to level the seam area with the remaining floor. This type of adhesive seam often disrupts the evenness and pattern consistency of the floor.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a preseamed sheet flooring material having a predetermined width suitable for installation on a floor and providing the appearance and wear characteristics of a seamless floor.
It is another object of the invention to provide a preseamed sheet flooring material wherein the seaming adhesive has the wear characteristics of the sheet flooring material.
It is another object of the invention to provide a preseamed sheet flooring material wherein the seaming adhesive bonds aggressively to all layers of a multi-layer sheet flooring material.
It is another object of the invention to provide a preseamed sheet flooring material wherein the seam is sufficiently strong to withstand separation during subsequent manufacturing steps, shipment, storage and installation.
It is another object of the invention to provide a preseamed sheet flooring material which requires reduced installation labor.
It is another object of the invention to provide a preseamed sheet flooring material which avoids costs resulting from improper seaming during installation.
It is another object of the invention to provide a preseamed sheet flooring material wherein the seaming adhesive has the staining characteristics of the sheet flooring material.
It is another object of the invention to provide a preseamed sheet flooring material wherein two or more sheet products are joined by seams as an integral part of the manufacturing process to produce an end product which can be installed without an in situ seaming operation.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method of forming a preseamed sheet flooring material having a predetermined width suitable for installation on a floor and providing the appearance and wear characteristics of a seamless floor.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method of forming a preseamed sheet flooring material having a predetermined width suitable for installation on a floor wherein the seam fills with adhesive as a result of capillary flow during a pressure-applying step.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in the preferred embodiments disclosed below by providing a preseamed, resilient sheet flooring including first and second composite sheet products positioned closely adjacent each other edge-to-edge to form a seam therebetween. An adhesive is positioned in the seam. The adhesive extends completely through the thickness of the sheet flooring, bonds with the first and second sheet products through the entire thickness thereof, and has visual characteristics suitable for creating an indistinct appearance of the seam in the sheet flooring. The adhesive also has wear characteristics sufficiently similar to wear characteristics of the sheet flooring to maintain the visually indistinct appearance of the adhesive on the surface of the seam as wear occurs to the sheet flooring, thereby creating a finished seam sufficiently strong and flexible to permit the adhesive to be positioned in the seam prior to unrolling the flooring onto a subfloor surface.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the first and second sheet products have a decorative surface including a pattern, and are positioned closely adjacent each other edge-to-edge to form a seam therebetween with the pattern on the first and second sheets in matching orientation with each other.
The adhesive is preferably a hot melt adhesive.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the edges of the first and second sheet products are shaped to define, when positioned closely adjacent each other, a predetermined void within the seam for retaining the adhesive therein.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the seam between the first and second sheet products is between 10 and 100 microns in width.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the first and second sheet products further includes a wear layer and an interlayer.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the wear layer is PVC.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the adhesive is a hot melt adhesive applied to the seam in a form selected from a group including tape form, powder form, scrim form and rope form, and is forced into the seam by heat and pressure.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the adhesive iss a hot melt adhesive applied to the seam in a form selected from a group including tape form, powder form, scrim form and rope form, and is exposed to sufficient heat and pressure to initiate capillary flow of the adhesive into the seam.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the resilient sheet flooring includes a backing layer positioned on one major surface of each of the sheet products, the backing layer without an adhesive coating applied to a substantial portion of a backing layer surface opposite the sheet product.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the backing layer surface opposite the sheet product further includes a portion not adjacent the seam and that is substantially free of adhesive coating.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, a preseamed sheet flooring is provided which includes a roll of material. The material includes first and second composite sheet products positioned closely adjacent each other edge-to-edge to form a seam therebetween. An adhesive is positioned in the seam, extends completely through the thickness of the sheet flooring, bonds with the first and second sheet products through the entire thickness thereof, and has visual characteristics suitable for creating an indistinct appearance of the seam in the sheet flooring product. The adhesive also has wear characteristics sufficiently similar to wear characteristics of the sheet flooring to maintain the visually indistinct appearance of the adhesive on the surface of the seam as wear occurs to the sheet flooring.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the first and second sheet products included in the roll of resilient sheet flooring have a decorative surface including a pattern. The first and second sheet products are positioned closely adjacent each other edge-to-edge to form a seam therebetween with the pattern on the first and second sheets in matching orientation with each other.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the adhesive positioned in the seam is a hot melt adhesive.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the edges of the first and second sheet products included in the roll of material are shaped to define, when positioned closely adjacent each other, a predetermined void within the seam for retaining the adhesive therein.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the seam included in the roll of material and positioned between the first and second sheet products is between 10 and 100 microns in width.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the first and second sheet products included in the roll of material also includes a wear layer and an interlayer.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the wear layer of each of the first and second sheet products included in the roll of material is formed of PVC.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the adhesive positioned in the seam of the roll of material is a hot melt adhesive applied to the seam in a form selected from a group including tape form, powder form, scrim form and rope form, and is forced into the seam by heat and pressure.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the adhesive used in the seam of the material is a hot melt adhesive applied to the seam in a form selected from a group including tape form, powder form, scrim form and rope form, and is exposed to sufficient heat and pressure to initiate capillary flow of the adhesive into the seam.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the material also includes a backing layer positioned on one major surface of each of the sheet products. The backing layer is without an adhesive coating applied to a substantial portion of a backing layer surface opposite the sheet product.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the backing layer surface opposite the sheet product included in the material further comprises a portion not adjacent the seam being substantially free of adhesive coating.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the material includes a backing layer positioned on one major surface of each of the sheet products, the backing layer without an adhesive coating applied to a substantial portion of a backing layer surface opposite the sheet product.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the backing layer surface opposite the sheet product included in the material further includes a portion not adjacent the seam and that is substantially free of adhesive coating.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the material is formed of the first and second composite sheet products and the adhesive. The sheet products have two opposed longer edges and two opposed shorter edges. The seam is formed by two of the longer edges.